A look at who wants what in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program:
Q: What is the situation?
A: Iran has ruled out any chance of closing down its uranium enrichment program, which the West fears could eventually produce material for nuclear weapons. Iran insists it only seeks reactors for energy, research and isotopes for medical treatments. The two sides have been in a virtual stalemate over the issue since international talks began in 2006. The U.S., EU, U.N. and other countries and groups have applied painful sanctions on Iran, leaving the country blocked from global banking systems and with sky high inflation.
Q: Who are the players?
A: The U.S. is negotiating with Iran alongside, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. Except for Germany, all these nations are permanent U.N. Security Council members.
Q: What does Iran want?
A: Relief from the sanctions. It may be ready to agree to limit enrichment to no higher than 5 percent and destroy or convert all enriched uranium above that benchmark as an initial concession. It now is enriching some uranium to nearly 20 percent, which can be turned into weapons-grade uranium much more quickly.
Q: What does the U.S. want?
A: The U.S. and its partners want Tehran to stop enrichment above 5 percent as an initial step. The U.S. also seeks an end to work on a reactor that will produce plutonium because that material can also be used to arm nuclear weapons. It wants a fortified underground uranium enrichment facility shut down the U.N. nuclear agency to have greater powers in monitoring Iran's nuclear program.
Q: What about Israel?
A: Israel wants the U.S. and the broader international community to maintain a "credible" military threat against Iran and has rejected the more moderate tone of the Rouhani administration as a smoke screen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned that its allies might be fooled into complacency. In a statement last week, he demanded Iran halt all uranium enrichment; remove all enriched uranium from its territory; close the underground facility where 20 percent uranium is being made; and end construction of the plutonium reactor. Even if Tehran concedes on only one of the demands as an initial step, Netanyahu's position — and influence on the United States' negotiating stance — would be weakened.
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